June Cooperative Program (CP) gifts from North Carolina Baptist churches significantly narrowed the gap from last year’s giving and through June were 1.9 percent behind the same period in 2008.

At the end of April receipts trailed the same period in 2008 by 2.9 percent and at the end of May, by 5.1 percent.

June CP gifts of $2,873,951 were $221,000 above the average of the first five months and brought the total $16.1 million compare to $16.4 million at the same juncture in 2008.

A possible factor in the June boost is that the last Sunday of May fell on the last day of the month and those receipts would be received in June.

Giving Plan A, through which two-thirds of all gifts are received, was up 1.8 percent through June, to $10.8 million.

Plan B was down 6.4 percent to $1.3 million.

Plan C, 10 percent of which goes to the national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, was down 23.6 percent to $613,541.

Plan D, which had been growing steadily for several years, was down 1.6 percent to $2.9 million.

Beginning in 2010, the North Carolina Baptist budget will consist of only one giving plan. The budget committee, chaired by Steve Hardy of Winston-Salem, is working on a potential budget to be presented to the board for consideration in September.

“We’re grateful for the confidence shown by churches in keeping CP income almost level during one of the most difficult economic downturns in decades,” said Milton A. Hollifield Jr., Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) executive director-treasurer. “We know their giving represents a sacrifice. One of our pastors recently announced to his congregation that he wanted them to honor their commitment to CP missions support even if it meant he did not get a pay check.”

Hollifield said internal adjustments have kept the BSC operating in the black.

Of the three major special offerings only the Lottie Moon offering for international missions is up, by 7 percent to $9.1 million.

The Annie Armstrong offering for North American missions is down 6.6 percent, to $4.9 million.
The North American Mission Board recognized the Baptist State Convention during the national Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting for leading all state conventions in 2008 with gifts to the Annie Armstrong Offering.

The North Carolina Missions Offering trails last year’s giving by 11.5 percent, with gifts through June at $388,113.

ABOUT THE BIBLICAL RECORDER
Since 1833 the Biblical Recorder has served North Carolina Baptists as the Baptist State Convention's official news journal - with the emphasis on news. The paper was founded by Thomas Meredith, an early pastor, writer and denominational statesman in North Carolina.